


Broken Bones

by Flogið eins og fiðrildi (LucidDreamer777), Geone (LucidDreamer777)



Series: PROJECT: KHENT [1]
Category: Lost Odyssey
Genre: Body Horror, Explicit Language, Magitek, Medical Procedures, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29464818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucidDreamer777/pseuds/Flogi%C3%B0%20eins%20og%20fi%C3%B0rildi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucidDreamer777/pseuds/Geone
Summary: An Urhan soldier managed to survive the disastrous battle in the Highlands of Wohl but with equally disastrous results. Meanwhile, a Khent survivor is trying to leave the battlefield, but his leg is badly damaged...
Series: PROJECT: KHENT [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190522





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: I do not own Lost Odyssey except the original characters. If I do so, not only I can add more characters and upgrade the lore but will also give you more tears and nightmares than needed. After all, didn't you people ever think of what are the possible effects and consequence of healing magic if it happens in real life?

The first thing that greets him in the battlefield is a Ghotzan Blade flung into his chest, embedding it deep enough to kill him. His eyes widen, and he let out a surprised gasp before he fell to the ground. The blade's owner, a mighty Khent warrior step on his body while pulling it away, with his blood freshly staining the blade.

After he remains dead for several seconds, a bright blue light shines and envelopes his vision. Suddenly, he is brought back to full health, with his fatal wounds being healed. He turns to his opponent, a confused and scared Khent soldier, before he lets out a war cry and runs to the opponent with his spear blade ready.

The Urhan Mages are doing very well with their job. Being deployed in battle with well-guarded mobile magic towers, the 20th to 40th Magic Division soldiers arrive in time to turn the tides of war. With the use of the newly researched and discovered White Magic spell _Resurrect_ , even the dead can come back to battle and aid with the living, which throws the Khents into chaos. If the Urhan War Machines that are designed after the Koguhpuk aren't effective, then the use of the mages will be Urha's one-way ticket to victory.

After he plunges his blade into an unfortunate Khent soldier, he is killed yet again by a sneak attack from another Khent soldier, whose blade wedges deep into shoulder that the arteries are cut open. He is shocked and stumbled into the ground, lying weakened as blood continues to flow uncontrollably. As he is greeted another death by a fatal stab on his neck, so is he greeted with the same bright blue light that heals all of his wounds and getting back to his feet.

This exploited cycle of life and death is used constantly throughout the battle.

Slowly getting sick of dying, the Urhan soldier decides to take more pragmatic tactics to get rid of his enemies. He quickly takes a deceased Khent's blade and discards his Urhan manufactured blade, with consequences be damned.

Urhan military academies and training camps are held with honor in the battlefield and actively discourages its soldiers to take arms of anything but their own. But in the battlefield, savagery and brutality reign over honor, and the Urhan soldier slowly begins to accept it. Even if he will be fined at best or imprisoned at worse if he is caught with the Khent Blade in his possession, all he has to do is survive with whatever it takes.

After killing his tenth--thirteenth kill while being resurrected from his sixth death, the Urhan soldier quickly turns to the other Khent soldiers, who were surprised to see him wielding the blade of their kind.

Spitting blood into the ground, he smirks and turns to his opponents. "Aight, which one of you bitches of war will come and fight me? I'll keep it up all day!"

The Urhan soldier boasts in front of his Khent opponents, who were enraged at his words and actions and quickly charge straight to him.

The deaths he had suffered throughout the time is slowly making him sync with the arts of killing, allowing him to gain more confidence of his battle skills and abilities. The Urhan soldier quickly charge to his opponents, letting out another war cry and his blade ready.

"Take that Urhan scum with all your might!" One of the Khent soldiers shout, with his shield and blade ready. "Don't just stab him, cut his body down! Crush it and destroy it!"

This is bad news for him if he gets mutilated beyond recognition. He saw an Urhan soldier beheaded and then crushed by Khent soldiers and war machines. Without the _Resurrect_ spell affecting him, he is good as dead.

But the Urhan soldier isn't going to die today.

With his blade ready, the Urhan soldier swings it and delivers a slash into a nearby Khent soldier, whose armor protects it but also briefly stuns it. The Urhan soldier smirks and drives the blade deep into the Khent soldier's face, which breaks through the other side. Blood rains from the sudden openings of his head and the opponent dies instantly as it goes. The Urhan soldier quickly kicks the body away and guards another attack from an approaching Khent soldier, where two blades meet with each other before being repelled by their force. The Urhan soldier moves out of the way and begin exchange sword blows with another Khent soldier, who tries to cut his head off.

For their raw strength, the Khent cannot stand a chance, and his fear of trying to kill a seemingly immortal soldier causes him to lose the grip of his blade, where the Urhan soldier quickly disarms it before driving his blade into the gut. As the Khent tries to remove it carefully, he forcibly slices it to the other side, where a large cut is made and the Khent soldier's guts are slowly coming out. The Khent collapsed into the ground, who is mortally wounded and slowly waits for death to fill his vision.

The Urhan soldier quickly turns to the Khent soldier who clashes with him, who nervously stands his ground with his sword and shield.

"Hideous monster..." the soldier growls in his breath. "Cursed you for perverting the natural cycle of life and death!"

The Khent lets out a desperate shout before charging to the Urhan soldier. The human quickly grabs a nearby Gohtzan shield and blocks the incoming blade with it. The Khent soldier is surprised by this and barely has enough time to react before the Urhan soldier drives his blade into the Khent's stomach.

As the Khent is staggered, the Urhan soldier quickly drives it deeper and deeper, with blood quickly leaking from the wounds and into the ground. The Khent soldier could only gasps in pain, as he can feel his life slowly moving away. With the blade's hilt a few inches away from his body, the Urhan soldier quickly pulls it away in a flash, with blood spray in an arc in various directions. The Khent feebly tries to stand and stall the large bloody wound in his body before he collapses to the ground, dying.

The Urhan soldier takes a moment of breath to look in his surroundings, where the battle still rages on. He begins to have thoughts of his accomplishments and is surprised that he still manages to survive from onslaughts of vicious Khent soldiers. Normal humans like him could barely stand a chance against Khent soldiers, for their might and strength are far greater than the rest of the mortal races.

Just when he gives a short breath, more other Khent soldiers ran to face him. The Urhan soldier quickly goes to his position and readies his blade to face against his many foes.

The Khent were bewildered by this Urhan soldier's combat prowess, who has successfully killed sixteen Khent soldiers. Even worse is that he is wielding both their sword and shield, something that is not found in the history of war at all. However, they cannot back down from this unusually strong soldier as they have cut down others who try to kill them and are ready to strike him down with their might.

"Cursed wench!" "Demon!" "Hideous abomination!" "You can't stand against us!" "He can't fight us all!" "Slay the monster!"

The insults that the Khent soldier are heard faintly in his ears. He doesn't give a respect on them, as he is going to make sure he lives again so that he can go home. He is sure of the promise that he made.

Just as he is about to ready his position, the ground begins to shake, startling everyone in the battlefield. The Urhan soldier quickly falls down in one knee, who is surprised by the sudden appearance of a tremor in the middle of battle. The Khent soldiers dare nothing to attack him, as they too are surprised and startled by the tremor's appearance.

Suddenly, the dark cloudy sky begins to part, revealing shiny bright light. The Urhan soldier covers his eyes, while he is looking at the mysterious yet illuminating light, with an soothing wave of warmth flowing down. The bright light is initially yellow, but then quickly turns blood orange in color, and its once soothing and welcoming warmth slowly becomes harsh and suffocating heat.

Then the clouds started to partway away, to reveal a horrifying sight. Above their heads, several thousand miles away from the ground, is a roof of cracked rock, while lava and chunks of rock flows down.

It is then he realized that it is going to kill everyone.

All the soldiers quickly stop the fighting and begin to start fleeing. What was once enemies of each other, they drop their weapons and start running away from the epicenter. Some of the soldiers start removing and tossing away their armor, while others throw their weapons and helmets. War machines are left behind, while the mages in their magic towers are stranded.

The Urhan soldier quickly starts to pick up his pace and runs to the nearest hills. Several soldiers, both Urhan and Khent, were running along with him. Some of them would try to throw the other to the ground, but a few noble soldiers would help pick up back to their feet, whether friend or foe. A heroic deed, but it wouldn't led them anywhere farther from the battlefield.

The Urhan soldier takes a look behind his back. Chunks of rock and lava smashes into the ground, sending a tremor in the ground. Some of the fleeing soldiers were shaken while others were thrown into the ground. The more unfortunate ones are those whose bodies were crushed by the debris, as well as those who were bathed with lava, burning their body through flesh and metal. Some of the towers and war machines fall into some of the fleeing soldiers, sometimes trapping them by their legs or arms, crushing the appendages with force that their bones snapped, or crushing their heads or chest that instantly kills them. Rocks would also fly around, striking soldiers either harmlessly or fatally. The Urhan soldier witnesses one unlucky Urhan soldier who is killed this way, as a large boulder falls from the ground and shatters in the ground, with one of the shards went flying straight into his eye and protruding at the other side of his skull.

The Urhan soldier stomachs of his experience of this brutal event. Eyeing at the soldiers, debris and fallen machines, he dodges them or pushes them aside. His life is at peril and he cannot die in this battlefield, as death by being crushed or burned to death will be worse than being slain by the sword.

A magic tower topples down and some of the mages reach to the ground safely. However, it also experiences an overcharge, causing streams of magic to flow erratically and wildly in its environment. Seeing that the _Resurrect_ spell energies are running out of control, some of the intact corpses begin to rise, and they begin to view in wonder and horror as they realized that they are being revived in a time when a great disaster is upon them.

The poor fellas...

Suddenly, he accidentally bumps into a Khent soldier and they fall into the ground. The Urhan soldier begins to try to reach back to his feet. A magic tower collapses nearby, and its wretched foundations fall into him. Rather than ending his life, the metals slam down into his legs, with an audible thud as he can feel the painful impact in his legs.

The bones are unbroken, but he is trapped.

He cannot flee from the battlefield.

The spell energies run violently as the magic engine is overcharging. The Urhan soldier grunts as he tries to free himself from the debris. The tower's broken framework is impossible to budge, and all the Urhan soldier can do is to pathetically pound on the metal, with no hope of escaping.

So, this is how he is going to die.

Not by the blade of an enemy or being slain by Khent war machines.

But he will soon die being crushed to death by falling rocks or burned to death by the lava.

The Urhan soldier lets out a scream, a scream that is riddled with fear, hopelessness and despair, as he watches the giant, lava-filled rock slowly crashing down.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Battle of Wohl Highlands ended in a disaster._

_A rogue spell, identified by scholars as "Annihilation", is casted above the highlands. What would have been a normal, if intense and bloody, skirmish would end with a massacre that kills thousands of men of both Khent and Urhan armies. This disaster sends out a shockwave throughout both sides of the war, with Khent having no choice but to accept defeat in fear of being struck by another devastating spell. Meanwhile, Urha is scrambling to rescue any survivors that might be present in the highlands, as well as to bring back the deceased for the disclosure of their loved ones._

_Kaim Argonar, Second Lieutenant Commander of the 17th Platoon of Armored Magic Troopers, after surviving another death-defied event, returns back to the camp in the southern most parts of Wohl Highlands...  
_

* * *

Two Urhan soldiers are inspecting of the barren wasteland of Wohl, to search for anything that they can salvage with. Corpses, bits of armor and swords, or salvageable parts of non-functioning or destroyed magic towers and sweepers, these soldiers are sent by the main head to scavenge on the ruined landscape. Survivors are few and far, and many of them are in worse shape. It is uncommon for them to see and hear survivors who lost arms, legs or eyes as well as broken bones and ribs, twisted limbs and bloody faces and bodies. Even one of the nurses gagged and vomited outside of the armored car.

As they were busy picking up a magic engine that is intact, they turn their backs to see an approaching figure, who casually walks in their direction. Clad in bits of metal and leather, the figure's shoulder-length jet black hair sway slightly to the wind, and his stone-cold expression gives little information of what he truly feels.

"Hey, hey." The first Urhan soldier who sees him says to his senior, lightly tapping him to gain his attention.

"What?!" Replied the second, senior Urhan soldier, who just turned his view to look at the first, junior Urhan soldier.

"That guy over there! He's still alive and uninjured!"

The junior Urhan soldier pointed at the figure, his dull blue eyes squinting to focus on the figure. The senior soldier only gives a short laugh, looking at the young soldier.

"I swear to Tuteus, you cut the crap, soldier. Not another person will leave the battlefield unscath-"

"Officer Kalhan, I swear by my two eyes, I saw a completely uninjured soldier approaching to us, and I am not drunk off my sorry ass this time!"

"Oh, what the hell are you talking-"

Just as the senior soldier stands up to turn to look at the direction of where the junior soldier is pointing at, his jaw drops as he almost loosen his grip of a magitek accelerator that is still in working condition. Indeed, there really stood a man in front of them, without any injury in his body.

As they stop staring at him wide eyed, both soldiers quickly pick up their pace and ran towards the uninjured soldier, who stops as he sees the men running towards him.

"Hey, you!" The senior soldier calls out, as he reaches to the mysterious soldier. There is no mistake, the man is uninjured, with neither cut, bruise, burns or torn flesh in his body, as well as his clothes are perfectly intact. "Stand your ground, soldier! State your name and unit!"

The unscathed soldier stares at the confused men with his dull blue eyes, before replying, "Second Lieutenant Kaim Argonar. Commander, 17th Platoon, Armored Magic Troopers."

The soldiers are looking at each other, astonished. "So, this is the legendary Kaim Argonar, the Immortal Mercenary." The junior soldier says to his senior, who nods in acknowledgement and continues questioning Kaim.

"What about the others?" the senior soldier asked.

Kaim's response is only a slight shaking of his head.

"I see... It's a miracle you made it, commander." The senior soldier continues speaking, inhaling a deep breath. "Of all the hundreds of soldiers under your platoon, only you survive yet again."

"What's our status?" Kaim asked, shifting his eyes to his surroundings.

"Bad." The junior soldier replies, frowning. "Of the tens of thousands of soldiers deployed, only few hundreds of us remain alive.

"It is shocking that the battle turned out to be this, but I heard the other side is suffering the same as well." The senior soldier says, expressing his thought. Kaim only nods in the words that comes from their mouth in agreement, that the war they have is just a terrible loss of both sides.

"I see. Where are the rest of the soldiers, then?"

"Follow us, we'll take you to the camp."

Kaim gives a quick nod before slowly following to the two soldiers returning to the camp, after they pick up more salvageable magitek weapon parts.

The path to the camp is uneventful. With no enemies in sight, they reach to a clear with crates, sandbags, anti-magitank barriers and chests. The salvaged magitek parts are stored in a large crate, where a couple of Urhan soldiers stood nearby, guarding it.

There are some of the survivors here, many in bad shape. Looking with his eyes, Kaim observes on the various wounds and injuries that the soldiers sustain. Broken arms and legs, bloody wounds, bruises and broken bones. The worse injuries that they can have are lost limbs, lacerations, infected wounds and mangled flesh. The medics and field nurses are rushing in to give first aid treatment to the survivors, if only to slightly ease their pain as they begin to send them back to Urha for medical treatment.

The bodies of Urhan soldiers lie in another side of the camp, where they lay there, placed side by side to each other. However, their bodies are all covered in white blanket, sometimes with spots of red on it as the blood seeps through the fabric, as to cover the more grisly details of their deaths. A field medic, who acts as an identifier, is holding a chart in one hand, where he obtains a fingerprint from each of the corpses, for identification of the deceased for closures to their families and friends.

Although no one has the gut to peak through the covers, some of the nurses and medics have seen through it and have enough nightmares for a day. It is not uncommon for them to describe on the details of their wounds. Flattened limbs and chest, organs barely hanging around, mangled faces and plenty of wounds ranging from cuts and gashes to bruises. One of the soldier's head is crushed in half, while another is nothing but warm bones and broken pieces of armor. Plenty of flies are circling around the corpses and it begins to smell foul after a few hours or so.

Kaim, who has seen death in the battlefield far many more times than the rest of the soldiers here, just gives a sad and tired sigh.

As Kaim continues to walk through, he can hear some of the chatter from the surviving soldiers. Many times, they express dread and discomfort of the battle's outcome, making whispers of their own dead or the rival army's. One of them is huddling in a corner next to the crates, rocking on his knees while broken fits of sad giggles can be heard from him. Two other soldiers are sitting in a spare, empty crate, having an idle chat or two to try disperse the feeling of unease among them. Morale is dangerously low nowadays, even if Urha manages to emerge victorious, as the grisly imagery and details of the disaster will burn into their mind for the rest of their lives.

"Place is crap, isn't it?" The senior soldier, Kalhan, said as he turns to Kaim. "Right now, we are issued orders to look for survivors and scavenged usable materials."

"I see." Kaim said, slightly nodding. "Anything new of the status of Wohl Highlands?"

"Recently, Commander Argonar, that there appears to be sightings of Khent scouts scattering in the northern part of the highlands, several kilometers away from the hypocenter." The junior soldier, Kalon, explains. "Reports from some of our far-sighters stated that they appear to be fighting against their own, while they are also looking for survivors as well."

"Damn, Khents. What else do they have in their sleeves?" Kalhan said, grumbling.

"Perhaps they are looking for the dead, too." Kaim says.

The response gives Kaim strange looks from Kalhan. "Pffft, really? All I could know from them is that they could be trying to lay their ambushes and schemes at us! Those dirty, no-good sons of bitches."

"Hmm, that can be one theory, officer." Kalon says, thoughtful. "But the far-sighters said that they never reach the southern part of the hypocenter, and are just scurrying in the northern edges of it."

"Whatever it means, they are not going to have any trouble, officer." Kaim says, with Kalhan giving a disappointed sigh before turning his back.

"Well, if that's what your minds thinking, then I'm not going to follow with it. I'm going to get some booze and drink my own shit like no tomorrow."

Senior soldier Kalhan quickly walks into one of the armored cars, leaving behind his junior soldier Kalon and Kaim outside.

The younger soldier sighs and turns to Kaim. "You know, Commander, I hope that you can understand his brass attitude towards Khent."

"I understand, soldier." Kaim replies. "I have seen this happen to many soldiers in the battlefield."

"Yeah, even when I am under his wing, such behavior can be seen whenever one mentions or speaks to a Khent." Kalon says, looking uncomfortable. "Sir Kalhan lost his twin brother in the Silver Rose battle several months ago, when the war between Urha and Khent is still fresh. I... never have thought to see him such a mild-mannered soldier will become harsh and racist right now."

Kaim gives a nod in the junior officer's tale. Tales like this aren't new to Kaim, as he has witnessed countless of stories of people losing their friends, lovers and family to war. Revenge is the more likely effect that happens, and Kaim remembers of how such hatred would become very destructive to not just people, but also to nations.

"What about you." Kaim says, looking at Kalon. "Do you have a reason to hate Khent?"

"Hate? Nah, I don't hate the Khents, they look kinda cool to me. It's just that, I hate this war. I wished it could have ended sooner, I just wish that it didn't end up like this."

The young soldier says with depressed expression, slightly shaking his head as he speaks. Kaim can understand of the young officer's words and gives him an ear to hear. He, too, grows tired of people fighting against each other.

"I'm sure that, it's weird for a soldier like me to dream of peace." Kalon continues speaking. "I mean, we are trained to kill, to take lives of other people, who have lives at their homes."

"I guess that is the code of war."

Hearing the words, Kaim gives Kalon a short smile. "I don't think being a soldier defines your entire life."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kalon asked, confused.

"You can retire from it or take another job. For example, you can be a shepherd and live in a quiet countryside."

Kalon is surprised, as it comes from the mouth of Kaim. Reputation speaks of him as cold and dismissive to his subordinates, but Kalon is not expected to see a more talkative and warm side of Kaim.

"C-Commandeer, sir, what has gotten into you? What has inspired for you to say those words?"

"I had a friend before, before I went to another town."

"I see, is he a soldier just like me?"

"Yes, and he lived a fulfilled life after setting aside his blade."

Kalon is surprised, and is taking some time to internalize his thoughts. "Ah, I'm not sure. All I could think is fight and fight, never with a moment of peace." Kalon said, before he looks back at Kaim. "I... Thank you for the suggestion, Commandeer Argonar. I think I will be making plans for my future once the war is over."

Kaim gives a short nod in response of Kalon's compliment.

"Anyway, you should rest for awhile here while waiting for orders from the Council. In the meantime, take your time for some refreshments."

After taking a polite bow, Kalon turns his back and enters in one of the armored cars. Kaim turns to look at the rest of the camp and silently decides to explore the parameters.

* * *

The Highlands of Wohl, once a valley filled with vegetation and full of life, is a barren dusty landscape by the time the unexpected final stages of the Urhan-Khent war rolls in the history. In the heat of the battle where both mankind and Khentkind clash swords with each other, their battle is brought into a sudden end when a magic spell is unleashed above their heads and annihilate an approximate of 97% of all participating soldiers, both Urhan and Khent. Now, the highlands suffer greatly from the cataclysm, with the land filled with broken pieces of the meteor, lava scattered in the highlands that are slowly drying out, broken magitek war machines blackened by heat and fire, and mangled bodies of soldiers lying in the ground.

In one of the higher regions of the highlands, a lone figure is seen pushing away a boulder with his strength. With his black fur and sharp dark brown eyes, the survivor is a Khent trying to get himself out of the rubble. Protected by his black finely crafted Gohtzan armor, the Khent pushes the boulder from his trapped lower body, taking off his helmet and discarding it away. The faint sunlight from the dark cloudy skies give shine into his sleek black fur, while his eyes focus on his surroundings, where it is filled with rocks and broken machines.

Gritting his teeth, the surviving Khent looks at his lower extremities. One of his leg is broken, quite literally as he cannot feel this particular leg. It has been crushed and twisted into the other side, with small trickles of blood peaking from his leg, with one of its jagged edge of his broken bone peaking from the other side of his flesh. The legging of the affected leg is greatly damaged, with some of it sticking deep in his skin by the sharp metals. The Khent knows that he cannot walk in a rate like this and has to crawl his way back to the camp.

"Must... head back... I have..." The Khent said to himself, grunting in pain as he tries to crawl into a downward slope. "I can't die here... I won't."


End file.
